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Researchers at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai sounded the alarm bell on the seismic-vulnerability of a proposed nuclear power plant at Jaitapur in Maharashtra on Wednesday.
But the usually proactive

Researchers at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai sounded the alarm bell on the seismic-vulnerability of a proposed nuclear power plant at Jaitapur in Maharashtra on Wednesday.

But the usually proactive environment minister Jairam Ramesh played down the threat to the proposed project on the Konkan coast.

Ramesh, who announced a Rs 125-crore coastal zone management programme to map hazardous regions for future projects along the country's coast, appeared flustered when asked whether the proposed programme would also look into the issue of setting up nuclear power projects in the coastal zone.

"The question is not relevant to the issue at hand. It is an attempt by the media to extract masala from my statements," he said.

Ramesh dismissed the query as "not related to the Integrated Coastal Zone Management ( ICZM) initiative". The minister said ICZM, to be implemented in association with the World Bank, will delineate and demarcate hazard line along the coast over a period of five years. This will include collection and presentation of data identifying flood lines over the past 40 years.

The data includes the impact of sea-level rise and a prediction of erosion over the next 100 years. Ramesh said the issue of setting up a nuclear power plant at Jaitapur was being "politicised" by the Opposition parties, which are unhappy with the "success" of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

He termed the Indo- French nuclear project as the "first outcome" of the India- US nuclear deal, which allowed the country back into the fold of the international nuclear trade.

On Tuesday, the BJP and the CPM had demanded that the government should reassess the environmental clearance given to the Jaitapur plant.

Local fishermen have been protesting against the location of the plant, fearing they would not be allowed to carry out fishing in the area for security reasons.

"As far as environmental clearance to the project is concerned, it is over from our side. And the ministry has nothing to do with it," Ramesh said. " The political parties should not use the environment ministry as a shield or cloak to fire at the government." Ramesh, while acknowledging that there were problems associated with land acquisition, said the Maharashtra chief minister will look into it more sensitively.

"We have to take local communities along with us," he said. His comments came against the backdrop of BJP leader Yashwant Sinha and CPM general secretary Prakash Karat demanding a re- look into the conditional environmental clearance given to the nuclear plant.

An impact assessment report by TISS has warned that the project will have a huge negative impact on social and environment development as it is located in an earthquake zone of high to moderate intensity.

The report compiled by a TISS social scientist Mahesh Kamble highlighted the people's demand for more transparency from the government on the project.

THE JAITAPUR POWER SAGA

THE PROJECTThe Nuclear Power Corporation of India ( NPCIL) has proposed this 9,900 MW power project at Madban village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. It will be the largest nuclear power station in the world by net electrical power rating once completed.

French nuclear engineering firm Areva S. A. and NPCIL have signed a $9.3 billion agreement for the project

SOME CONCERNS

Environmental impact of such power generation and geological effects

Jaitapur is located in a seismically active zone, making the project a grave cause for concern among the people

It is not clear where the nuclear waste generated by the plant will be dumped

THE BANNERS OF REVOLTIn January 2006, the Janahit Seva Samiti, Madban, which has spearheaded protests, filed a case against the project in the Bombay High Court. The court ordered a stay on the process for the project but lifted it later. Locals continued with protests.

Many villagers refused to accept the cheques issued in lieu of compulsory land acquisition. On December 4, the protests turned violent when about 1,500 protesters were detained. Doubts have also been raised about the neutrality of NEERI's environment impact assessment report, based on which the project was given environmental clearance

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